Blood is Thicker than Water
by Petals1
Summary: End of 5th year, Petunia picks Harry up from King's Cross, and is forced to realize...


**Blood is Thicker than Water**

**~~~~**

**A/N: READ THIS! **Just a note first about this story. It is the end of Harry's fifth year, and he is going home. Let's just say he had a tough year this year, a lot of people had died and Harry being Harry, had blamed himself for their deaths. He and Ginny had became closer during the year.

**Disclaimer: **Standard disclaimer applies (what _is _a standard disclaimer, anyway???).

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**The talk, the kiss, and the eyes**

Of all the days to have a doctor's appointment, Vernon just had to pick today, didn't he? Petunia Evans Dursley wasn't happy. With Vernon and Dudley at the doctor's, that meant she had to go pick _him_ up. She wouldn't have bothered if not for the fact that _those people_ would do horrible things to her family if she didn't. She sighed and looked at her watch. She had no idea what time _his _train would come, though Vernon told her vaguely around 7 p.m. 

Suddenly, as if by..._magic_ (Petunia grimaced at the thought), crowds of students streamed out from the barrier between platform 9 and 10, finding their family. Groups and groups of teenagers passed Petunia, pushing trolleys laden with trunks and various animals. Petunia can never understand the kind of pets _these people_ kept. Owls? BATS? At least cats and rats were relatively normal. She shook her head, and glanced around for her nephew. As the crowd cleared, she finally spotted him talking with a redheaded woman, who looked at him in a way, not unlike how Petunia looked at Dudley. 

She didn't even noticed the man approaching her until he stood in front of her. He was a tall and balding man, what little red hair he had was turning grey. He wore a long set of green _robes, _which was travel worn. Petunia remembered him. His sons had nearly killed Dudley two summers before. What was his name? Weasel or something like that...not that Petunia cared. 

"Mrs. Dursley," he stated, holding out his hand. His expression and tone was not friendly as his last encounter with her, but his jaws set, his face grim. 

"What do you want?" she retorted, though not as sharply as she intended, for there was something in his eyes that didn't seem right.

"As unhappy you are to see me, I can sympathy you on that. I am no more happy than you to have this conversation. However, I do feel you need to know this. Well, as you are no doubt aware, that my wife and I, we are greatly concerned with Harry's well being. This is not only because he is our son's very best friend...but also, I don't know if you are aware of this, we owe our only daughter's life to Harry."

Petunia did not understand the last part. What did he mean by owing Harry his daughter's life? She shifted uncomfortably and looked up at the..._wizard, _Mr. Weasel...no, Weasley.

"Harry, ever since he set foot into the Hogwarts castle, had bear many, many dangers and difficulties. But none more dangerous than what he had to go through since last June. Maybe I should have told you this before he came home last summer...but..."

He trailed off, looking over his shoulder at the blacked haired boy...no, young man, surrounded by redheads. 

"What I am trying to say is, Harry had been through things, had seen things, that no boy his age, no grown man should ever witness."

"What...kind of things?" Petunia couldn't help asking, her voice shaking a bit.

"Horrible things. Not unlike things that happened the day you lost your only sister."

Petunia gave an involuntary sudder.

"Look...I just want you to give him a break this summer, that's all I ask. Just...remember, he _is_ your dead sister's only child, and he had been put in your care...just...remember that." With that, he turned and walked back to his family.

Not long after, Harry pushed his trolley towards Petunia. She was shocked at the change in his young face. His eyes, always so bright, was almost dull, still the greenest color, but full of sadness. His face was set, and his lips was thinned into a line. He had grown a lot, and held himself as if carrying an enormous weight on his shoulder. 

He looked up at her, and asked, his voice had a hard edge to it,

"Where's Uncle Vernon?"

"At the doctor's with Dudley."

"Oh."

Petunia felt, for the first time ever, her heart going out to her nephew, so stood before her, so quiet, so small, yet so great. So sad, his eyes so full of emotions, yet so empty. 

"Coming?" she asked, in her usual curt voice

He started to follow her out of the station. But before they could go more than ten yards, a female voice called:

"HARRY! Harry, wait!"

They both turned, and saw a redheaded girl running towards them. She stopped to catch her breath in front of Harry. Petunia realized this must be Mr. Weasley's daughter. How did she come to owe her life to Harry, Petunia wondered?

The girl looked at Harry for a moment, then reached out, and pulled him in a hug. Petunia saw Harry stiffened, then he relaxed and reach around to hug her back. Finally, the girl let go of Harry, and saying,

"Harry, you know none of us blame you for _anything_ that'd happened. You shouldn't blame yourself either."

"It's easy for _you_ to say." Harry said, with some degree of sadness in his voice

"Oh Harry! I know you've heard this a million times, but...you think it was that easy for me to get over Tom? I tortured myself for the next two years, I could have killed people, Hermione...she is my best friend, and I almost killed her...and you. But then...after what Dumbledore said in the end of my third year, I realized...it really was not my fault. Vol- _Voldemort_ had the power to use people and make them go mad with guilt of what they've done. You can't let him do that to you, Harry. If you keep blaming yourself, then he wins. You have to move on, the world _needs_ you, Harry. I_ need_ you. So do Ron, and Hermione, and my family. Everyone who knows you would never blame you. You shouldn't blame yourself either. I learnt to move on, I learnt to forgive myself. It's time you learn that too."

Then she hesitated a moment, then leaned up, and kissed Harry on the cheek. Petunia could tell Harry was surprised too, considering he didn't react. Then, as the girl was walking away to find her family, he called,

"Ginny?"

Ginny turned expectantly at him,

"Thank you!"

Ginny smiled. Despite of herself, Petunia couldn't help noticing her smile was a warm one, strengthening everything it touches, including Harry. So much like Lily's smile. 

Harry turned back to Petunia, looking deep in thoughts, though there was a trace of a smile playing on his lips, and his eyes looked considerably brighter.

Vernon had gotten back by the time Petunia parked the car. She watched for a moment as Harry dragged him trunk into the house. It was almost depressing to see him like this.

As he walked through the door, Vernon immediately snapped at him,

"Get moving and put that junk away. And you've better finished mowing the lawn by dinner or no dinner for you1"

The anger and frustration in the young blank face almost made her snap at her husband to go do the bloody lawn himself. Instead, she just said quietly,

"Leave him alone, Vernon."

Both Harry and Vernon looked at her, astounded. It was as if she had gone mad. 

Petunia looked deep into those green eyes, and for the first time, she was seeing Lily. It was as if Lily was staring out at her, in an...almost reproachful...and grateful way. For the first time, she truly appreciate that Harry was her nephew, her sister's son.

Lily's only child. 

Then Petunia felt herself going back to the day she woke up and found her nephew on the front steps. A pair of laughing, innocent green eyes had stared up at her, trusting her to take care of him. It was as if the little child knew, she was who he would have to depend on, the only thing he had left, his only blood. 

And that trust in his eyes, that innocence was gone now. Petunia knew, she could never return Harry his innocence, but she was determined to put that trust back into those emerald green eyes. The trust that Lily had for her, before jealousy had gotten better of Petunia and made her push her sister away. The trust she had betrayed. She would have her sister back, even if it was only through her nephew's eyes.

With that, Petunia walked into the kitchen, cooking enough for _four_ people.

~*~

THE END


End file.
